#ch: karev

[griefprofiled]

u know it's bad when i rock up here to yell abt it but ohmygod the greys anatomy theories better be wrong i swear to god

[karevfoster-blog]

“ why are you here? ” // “ it’s my honeymoon. ”

[neurogxd-a]

TAG DROP PART 2

[bentrule]

                    alex’s  head  drops  between  his  shoulders,    but  not  out  of  sadness  or  deliberation.        if  you  were  to  ask  him  how  he  was  feeling,    he  wouldn’t  be  able  to  pinpoint  it.        all  of  the  words  in  his  vocabulary,    all  of  the  medical  knowledge  from  years  and  years  of  studying,    and he still couldn’t put his thoughts into goddamn words.                    ❝      you’re  stronger,    tougher.    ❞                    jo’s  words  lift  his  head  from  its  position  and  makes  him  meet  her  eyes.        suddenly  he  can  decipher  the  emotion  in  his  body,    coursing  through  his  veins  and  replacing  his  blood.        ANGER.        she  wasn’t  there  the  times  that  he  lifted  his  father  from  the  kitchen  floor  to  put  him  on  the  couch.        she  wasn’t  there  when  he  had  to  miss  prom  because  his  father  came  home  in  a  drunken  rage.        she  wasn’t  a  child  caring  for  his  siblings  because  his  father  couldn’t  summon  the  damn  nerve  to  be  the  adult  in  the  house.                    ❝      i  know  that,    but  it  doesn’t  make  a  difference!        i  told  you,    i  don’t  want  a  relationship  with  him,    he’s  not  my  dad!        i  get  you  had  a  real  tough  life  growing  up,    don’t  know  your  dad,    but  guess  what?        boo freakin’ hoo.        you  want  a  dad?        you  go  in  and  talk  to  him,    see  what  a  great  goddamn  person  he  is.      ❞

@dignitaes​    /    prompt

[pagesnoir-moved]

open to: m/f (you’re a detective, investigator, a fellow criminal behaviour psychologist or someone involved with the case). plot: you are both working on the case of a murderer who has already killed 3 women.

Marianne hasn’t slept for almost 48 hours now. Her eyelids are heavy. A half-empty mug of coffee in her slender-fingered hand got cold. The mascara from her lashes is now nothing more but a few crunches around eyes. She needs to take a nap but also wants to push the case forward. “Once again... What were the things he has taken from the crime scene?” She places the mug to aside and rubbed her neck. The fiery pain of her spine began to possessing her entire body. Marianne lifted herself up. She hasn’t taken show nor brushed her teeth. The leftovers of caffeine and cigarettes covered her teeth and linger on the back of her throat. She needs to refresh her mind with cold air. “I need a cigarette.”

[iamtrebleclefstories]

Every Day I Love You More - Ch. 7

Chapter 7 - THE ANNOUCEMENT

After having drunk sex, Jo and Alex are having a baby. An actual baby. Here’s how everyone finds out

Sequel to I’m Happy Here with You 

Sometimes the perfect bubble bursts

Jo had finally done it. She’d made it to twelve weeks and the list of people who knew about her pregnancy was smaller than she’d anticipated, considering the way gossip spread around the hospital. Jo and Alex had an early morning OB appointment where they would be having the twelve-week ultrasound. After some discussion, the pair had decided that announcement featuring a copy of the ultrasound would be the best way to announce to the rest of their friends and coworkers the news of their impending parenthood.

 When she’d woken up that morning, Jo turned to see Alex staring at her with a giant grin on his face, “Good morning.”

 “Hey,” Jo yawned. “How long have you been staring at me? It’s kind of creepy.”

 “Not long. I just woke up a few minutes ago and I noticed something when I went to put my arm around you,” Alex picked up the covers to reveal to Jo’s small frame. He placed a hand on her abdomen. “Look. It’s super tiny, but it’s there.”

 Jo gasped as she looked down to see the smallest curve of her belly, “It’s a bump.”

 “It’s a bump,” Alex nodded happily. “Most people probably won’t even notice at all because it’s so small, but you’re starting to show.”

 “Holy crap, Alex we’re having a baby,” Jo exclaimed with wide eyes. “I mean, I already knew that, but it’s so much more real now. There’s a baby inside of me, right now.”

 “Yup,” Alex chuckled as he watched Jo go through the shock all over again. “I can’t wait to see our baby today.”

 “Me too,” Jo smiled. She really was excited to see the grainy image that they’d be going in for today. She’d only known about her pregnancy for about a month, but already she was overwhelmed with love for this baby. “I think I’m going to burst with the love I feel and it kind of terrifies me.”

 “Same here,” Alex’s face pulled up into a soft smile. “I love the two of you so much that I know I’d lose it if anything happened to either of you. For the first time in my life, I feel like everything makes sense and that’s thanks to you. You gave me something I didn’t even know I was missing. Thank you.”

 “You’re giving me something too,” Jo leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. “For the first time in my life, I have a family. I real family. That’s all I ever wanted.”

 They spent as long as they could in the bed together before getting up to prepare for their appointment. Thirty minutes and some great shower sex later, the two of them stumbled downstairs in a fit of giggles.

 Cristina—who’d been standing in the kitchen as she ate her bagel—wrinkled her face in disgust, “Blegh… You know you two could be a little quieter? I know that you’re all happy and lovey-dovey because there’s a baby on the way but come on. I could hear you all the way down here.”

 “Oh, you’re one to talk. I distinctly remember making animal noises at you from this very kitchen because you and Hunt couldn’t keep your hands off each other,” Jo teased. “Someone howled that night.”

 “Whatever,” Cristina scowled and took another bite into her bagel.

 “Dude, look at what came in this morning!” Alex brought Jo close and pulled her shirt taut against her body, highlighting the tiny curve of her stomach. His face broke out into a large grin. “Jo’s starting to show.”

 Cristina’s eyebrows shot up, “Wow, look at you, hairball. All cute and pregnant. I wouldn’t be surprised if your bump popped out for real sometime within the next couple weeks.”

 “Ugh, that means I’m going to be getting fat soon.”

 “Not fat, babe. Just growing a human,” Alex encouraged. “You’re going to look great.”

 “You guys have another appointment today, right?” Cristina asked.

 “Yeah, we’re going to ask for another ultrasound so that we can use the picture to announce the pregnancy since Jo is officially in her second trimester. That and way too many people already know so it’s best we just come out with it,” Alex shared.

 “Make sure you give Mer a copy. She’s gonna want to put it on the fridge,” Cristina reminded.

 “Already made a note to ask for three copies of the sonogram,” Jo said as she reached around Cristina to grab the cream cheese. “I think we’re gonna need more bagels. Some more cream cheese, too. The baby is constantly asking for bagels. Mac and cheese, too. Not the boxed kind though. The baby is in the mood for real, baked mac and cheese.”

 Cristina and Alex exchanged a look, both amused at Jo’s pregnancy cravings, “I can go get the bagels and cream cheese at the store after work today. But you do know that none of us really know how to cook right, babe?”

 “I’m sure Kepner would be willing to make the mac and cheese for you. She’s nice like that. Especially after she finds out you’re pregnant, that’s it,” Cristina made a motion with her hands. “You’re probably going to receive a different type of casserole every week because she knows that we don’t cook.”

 “She’ll look at us in horror when she realizes what we’ve been feeding you,” Alex joked.

 “You guys are laughing now, but you won’t be later when I’m eating the entire casserole by myself,” Jo took another bite of her bagel. “Baby and I don’t share food.”

 ———

 “Alright, so everything looks great. You are right on track for twelve weeks and seem to be doing very well,” Lucy smiled as she wiped the excess jelly off of Jo’s stomach. “I also see that you got a tiny bump. When did that show up?”

 “I noticed it this morning,” Alex grinned. “I woke up a couple minutes before she did and went to put my arm around her when I felt the little curve that wasn’t there before.”

 “That’s so exciting. I always love when parents get to see the bump for the first time. Suddenly, it’s all very real. Did you have a moment like that?” Lucy asked.

 “I did. This morning, actually,” Jo answered, looking a bit embarrassed.

 “You see? I know what I’m talking about,” Lucy pulled up the ultrasound photos and handled them over to Jo. “Alright, so I normally wouldn’t recommend this unless I thought something was wrong, but Jo, since we don’t have medical history, I was wondering if you’d like undergo a CVS to check for any genetic abnormalities. You’re right about the typical gestation for this procedure. If you don’t want to do that, then we can just go ahead with the typical NIPT blood screening test.”

 “I want the CVS,” Jo nodded. “It’s one thing for me to not know, but when in comes to this baby? The thought of not knowing scares the crap out of me.”

 “Okay, I can do it right now. I’ll be right back,” Lucy walked out of the room leaving the young couple to have the space for themselves.

 “Are you sure? You don’t have to do this,” Alex rubbed circles on the back of Jo’s hand.

 “Yeah, I am. Like I said, Alex. Me not knowing is one thing, but when it comes to our kids? I don’t want to not know,” Jo sighed.

 “Our kids? As in plural? You want to have more kids with me?” Alex paused to stare at Jo.

 “What did you think I’m gonna give birth to this maybe and be like, ‘thanks for being my baby daddy, but time to move on the the next one,’” Jo laughed. “Yes, I want to have kids with you. More than one. I see the way you are with me and our little bean, I see how you are with your patients, and it really makes me wanna have kids with you. Whether we stay together forever or not, you’re my best friend. I trust you more than anyone.”

 Alex felt his heart swell. He looked at Jo with the softest expression on his face, “I love you. I plan on being with you until you get sick of me. And if it’s what you want, we’ll have tons of kids.”

 “So many of them,” Jo grinned brightly. “The family we never had.”

 Alex leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead and placed his hand on her belly, “The family we never had.”

 Lucy—who’d heard the tail end of the couple’s conversation—smirked as she walked back into the room, “You know, it still freaks me out when I hear you talk like that. Wilson, you have done the one thing that women have tried and failed at doing for decades—taming Alex Karev.”

 “I think I’ll take that as a compliment.”

 Lucy proceeded to perform the procedure as quickly and carefully as possible, “Alright. You are all set. We should have the results in about a week. It’ll give us a thorough diagnostic so that we can know what we’re dealing with before the baby arrives. You’ll also get to find out the sex of the baby by then. I call you when they’re in and you can come down here to retrieve them. Until then, I’ll see you next week.”

 ———

 Jo and Alex were shaking with excitement as they walked down to the attendings lounge to reveal their news to those who hadn’t yet heard it. Alex had paged all his friends down there in hopes of only having to make the announcement twice, once for the attendings and once for the residents.

 When they entered the room, Jo and Alex made eye contact with an already present Meredith who came up and whispered quietly, “Today’s the day?”

 “Yup,” Jo let out a shaky breath. “And yes, I have your copy of the sonogram. It’s in my purse. I’ll give it to you before we leave.”

 Meredith let out a tiny squeal and hugged Jo briefly, “Thank you!” She let go and sat back down on the couch as the rest of the doctors piled into the room.

 “You know, Meredith being nice to me is really freaking me out,” Jo whispered to Alex.

 “Honestly, it kind of creeps me out too,” Alex snickered. “She’s never this nice to anyone. Not even Cristina or Derek. Maybe her kids, but—”

 He was interrupted by Jackson speaking, “Uh, Karev. Why did you page us all to the lounge?”

 Bailey looked at him strangely, “Is there a reason for all this?”

 “Yeah, I’m confused. Normally, I’m the one that pages everyone for meetings like this. And those meetings usually have to do with something I’ve been forced to clean up as chief,” Owen chuckled.

 “Oh God, don’t tell me you did something stupid. There’s only so much I can take from you,” Arizona eyes widened.

 “I promise I didn’t do anything stupid that you’re gonna be forced to clean up,” Alex waved his hands in mock surrender. “I actually did something pretty good this time.”

 “Well, what is it?” Webber looked at Alex expectantly.

 Jo and Alex looked at each other before glancing at the friends surrounding them. Some of them—Meredith, Cristina, Derek, and Callie—had sly expressions on their faces, while others—Arizona, April, Jackson, Bailey, Webber, and Owen—sported faced of confusion. Reaching into her purse for one of the ultrasound photos, Jo nodded at Alex.

 Alex took the small picture in his hand, covering it from view. He took a deep breath and turned the picture around, “Jo and I are having a baby.”

 The room erupted into a chorus of shouts, gasps, and laughter as everyone took in the news of the Karev child that would be on it’s way soon.

 “Oh my God!” Arizona gasped loudly. “No, you’re playing a trick on us. She’s not pregnant.”

 “Hand to God,” Jo replied, bright smile on her face.

 “Congratulations!” April laughed excitedly and gave Jo and Alex each a hug. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

 “Congrats, you two. You will make wonderful parents,” Owen gave them each a kind smile.

 “Alex Karev. A father. Well, I’ve heard it all,” Bailey chuckled. “This is great news.”

 “Thanks, Bailey,” Alex gave her a hug.

 “Your kid is gonna be so foul-mouthed and dirty and cute,” Arizona gushed with excitement.

 “You two, wasted no time whatsoever,” Jackson smirked and shook Alex’s hand. “Nice work man.”

 The doctors laughed at Jacksons comment. Arizona looked around the room and noticed that not everyone was as shocked as the rest of them were. She pointed to Meredith, Cristina, Callie, and Derek, “Wait. Why don’t they look surprised at this news?”

 “We all already knew,” Cristina responded nonchalantly. “I found the pregnancy test in the trash, Callie found out because of an x-ray incident, Alex let it slip to Derek, and Meredith found out because Derek thought she already knew.”

 “I can’t believe you told Callie and not me,” Arizona slapped Alex on the shoulder. “I thought we were friends.”

“Ow,” Alex rubbed his arm. “We are friends. Jo just wanted to wait until she was in her second trimester before we told anyone.”

 “Wait did you say her second trimester?” Richard wrinkled his brow. “I didn’t think you guys had been together that long.”

 “They haven’t,” Bailey narrowed her eyes. “Let me see that sonogram.” She took the picture from Alex’s hand and hummed. “That is a twelve-week ultrasound if I’ve ever seen one. Care to explain?”

 “Does it really matter?” Alex scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “All that matters is that we’re happy and in love and having a baby.”

 “What did you do?” Arizona looked back and forth between the couple.

 A couple snickers were heard from the ones already aware of what had occurred. They couldn’t wait until the rest of their coworkers discovered just how the baby had been conceived.

 Jo huffed a laugh, “You guys don’t really want to hear about our sex lives, now do you?”

 “Oh, come on Wilson. Just spit it out before I do,” Callie teased. “It’s a fantastic story.”

 “Well—we, uh… ha,” Jo struggled to get the news out. “We… accidently made a baby at Meredith’s birthday party before we ever got together.”

 “Now, this,” Bailey snorted in amusement and pointed at the pair. “This makes much more sense now.”

 The next few minutes were lighthearted as the couple found themselves the butt of a couple jokes. The sonogram got passed around the room until it found its way onto the lounge fridge, the words “Karev baby coming soon” sharpied on it.

 They got the same sorts of reactions from residents in the lounge. Stephanie—who had found out about Jo’s pregnancy days earlier was smug at the fact that she knew before the rest of the residents.

 “This is great you guys,” Ben congratulated the pair. “You are going to be wonderful parents.”

 “Thanks everyone,” Jo smiled, happy that the secret was out and that everyone seemed supportive.

 “Hey, so I’m gonna go and start rounding on patients,” Alex leaned over to give Jo a kiss. “You’re on my service, so change into your scrubs and meet me down in peds when you’re ready.”

 “Sounds good,” Jo replied.

 Jo put her belongings away in her locker and changed into her scrubs quickly. As she walked out the lounge, she reflected on the events that took place this morning. The day had only begun, but it was already probably one of the best days of her life. She felt like she was walking on air. The prospect of growing the little life inside her had Jo shaking with excitement, love, and expectancy as she made her ways down the hospital halls. It was as though nothing could bring her down from this high.

 “Hi, Brooke.”

 Jo felt her blood run cold. She knew that voice. She’d never forget that voice, no matter how much time had passed. Her husband’s voice was unmistakable.

 “Or should I say, Jo?” Paul sneered.

 And just like that, her perfect bubble had been shattered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AHHHHHHH!! So... a lot happened in this chapter. Let me know what you think and what you hope to see next!

[doc-pickles]

i won’t hesitate (for you) ch. 9

Jo is happy, at least she feels like she is. When someone from her past shows up, will her and her daughter’s world ever go back to normal? Or will things change for good?

Me? Updating? It's more likely than you think apparently. I struggled, s t r u g g l e d. through this chapter but I think the rest will come a bit easier. S/O to Ren for proofing the first half of this and to Nat for demanding the second half hahaha. Also I know that the plot for this whole child support thing is totally out of left field, but I'm going with the Grey's motto of "enough logic to be believable but probably not real world" so there's that. Anyways enjoy! PS: In the interest of me not sending myself to an early grave, there's no flashback in the beginning of this chapter!

+

“Can’t believe we have to go to court, this is a waste of my time and my good suit,” Alex grumbled as he tightened this tie. “I had to pull it out of the boxes and then get it dry cleaned, I should freaking bill her for this.”

“This’ll be over with in a few days and we can go back to our normal lives, well as normal as living in a loft overrun with cardboard boxes is,” Jo exited the bathroom and navigated around a stack of boxes before finally making it over to Alex, moving his hands and helping with his tie. “You look so handsome, if we didn’t have somewhere to be I would drag you back to bed.”

“Well our bed isn’t even here for you to drag me to,” Alex moved his lips to kiss along Jo’s neck, a soft giggle coming from her as he did so. “Movers are coming in 45 minutes and we have to be out the door in 15.”

“That’s enough time for a quickie in the bathroom,” Jo’s proposition caused Alex to pull back and look her up and down with an amused expression. “What? I’m seriously horny all the time and you look good in a suit. I can’t help all the hormones running through my body. In fact! It’s your fault for getting me pregnant!”

Alex rolled his eyes, pressing one last kiss to Jo’s lips before pulling back from her.

“If I remember correctly, there were two of us in that elevator,” grabbing his keys and coat, Alex held his hand out for Jo to grab. “And I wasn’t the one gasping and moaning and practically begging the whole time.”

“If you keep using verbs like that you’re gonna make us late,” Jo swatted at Alex’s ass before grabbing his outstretched hand, following him out of the loft.

As they locked the doors and headed downstairs, Alex let his hands fall to Jo’s growing bump, showcased by her form fitting black dress. At almost 18 weeks pregnant now, Jo couldn’t attempt to hide her bump anymore. She’d been nervous that her pregnancy would impact the court case one way or another, but Alex had reassured her that he just wanted her there with him, consequence be damned. Things had moved quickly though, and in the end, Jo had been called to testify as a character witness so her protests didn’t matter.

The speed of the case making it to court probably had something to do with the fact that Izzie hadn’t bothered to fly back home to file a claim, instead calling the first paternity lawyer she could find on google and starting up the legal process in Washington. While it was a minor relief that Alex wouldn’t have to split time between Seattle and Kansas, both he and Jo were worried about how seriously Izzie had taken things.

Getting into the car and pulling on her seatbelt, Jo begins to ramble nervously. “How’s this going to work? I mean… they’re not yours, right? How is Izzie even allowed to do this?”

A loud groan left Alex as he settled into the driver's seat of his car. He’d wondered the same thing, but he knew that him signing all those papers when he moved to Kansas three years ago had definitely helped Izzie’s case. Even back then, he’d thought in the back of his mind that he should have asked more questions, demanded a paternity test, but he hadn’t. All he could focus on were these two perfect children standing in front of him, children that he now knew weren’t even his. Alex’s blood began to boil with anger at the thought of Izzie lying to him for so long, but he let out a deep breath and began to drive towards the courthouse instead.

“I don’t know, but I saw those blood test results myself and there’s no damn way those kids are mine,” Jo’s fingers rubbed against Alex’s arm, calming him slightly. He looked to her briefly before speaking again. “I’m sorry you had to get dragged into this, I wish I could protect you from it all.”

He could feel Jo’s gaze on him as his eyes stayed on the road. Alex could almost hear her thinking of how much she wanted to make Izzie pay for what she’d done to him. He was almost certain that pregnant or not, she’d fight Izzie if she came at her again. As if reading his mind Jo let out a chuckle and squeezed his arm reassuringly.

“I’m a big girl, I can stand up to bullies on the playground,” Jo squeezed Alex’s arm once more before bringing her hand to rest on her growing bump. “Let’s just get through today, this isn’t going to go longer than a day once they figure out you’re not those kids dad.”

But it did end up lasting longer… Once they got to the courthouse, Alex realized with a sense of horror that Izzie wasn’t messing around. She had two lawyers and was wearing a dress that looked like it cost more than his paycheck. And she wasn’t holding back anything, her lawyers showed that loud and clear.

“My client went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, there’s no possible way that she could conceive without the help of artificial insemination and the sample that Doctor Karev provided,” Izzie’s lawyer was a short, pudgy man whose voice echoed through the courtroom unforgivingly. “We’re asking for Doctor Karev to back pay child support for the three years he knew about and took parental responsibility for both children as well as therapy for the children in the wake of his sudden departure.”

“Your Honor, these claims are absurd! Doctors Karev and Stevens performed a blood test that showed that one of the children has a genetic disorder that neither of them have, meaning that if Doctor Stevens did indeed give birth to both children, that Doctor Karev could not be their biological father,” Alex’s lawyer fought back, eyeing Izzie and her lawyers as she spoke. “All we’re asking for is Doctor Karev to be released of all parental responsibility for both children and for Doctor Stevens to repay him the legal fees for these proceedings, as well as cover any other expenses he’s incurred while being involved in this trial.”

A quick and calculated silence followed the statement, Alex’s eyes flitting nervously from Izzie to her lawyer to Jo, who sat behind him with her hands nervously running over her bump. He’d seen Izzie watching her with a venomous expression earlier, Alex’s grip around her waist tightening as they’d shuffled into the courtroom.

“Your Honor, we’d like to call Doctor Josephine Brooke Karev to the stand before we proceed,” Izzie’s other lawyer, a tall woman named Eleanor Krause, stood and gestured towards the witness stand. She wore an almost permanent scowl on her thin face, her dark eyes staring menacingly around the courtroom. “I have a few questions for the other Doctor Karev.”

Jo rose and quietly made her way towards the stand, eyes meeting Alex’s briefly before swearing in and turning to face Miss Krause.

“Doctor Karev, are you and Doctor Alexander Michael Karev still married?”

“No we are currently divorced,” Jo’s voice was clear and stoic as she answered, staring directly at the lawyer questioning her. “We’ve been divorced for almost three years now.”

“And the dissolution of your marriage occurred when separated he moved to Kansas to be with Doctor Stevens?”

“Correct…,” then quickly adding, “after learning of their existence, Alex determined he needed to sever all ties with Seattle to be there completely for his children. At least who he thought were his children.”

Krause’s eyes lit up suddenly, a wicked smile appearing on her face as she stared down Jo. Alex could feel his stomach drop, knowing that whatever the woman was going to say next would not be friendly or civil.

“And you also have a child fathered by Doctor Alexander Michael Karev, is that right?”

“Yes, my daughter Harper Josephine Karev, who is two, and the child I’m carrying now are both Alex’s,” Jo’s brow furrowed, hand settling onto her abdomen as she watched the woman take a step closer to her. “I don’t see what that has to do with the case at hand though.”

“I just want to know if the other Doctor Karev paid you child support during your first pregnancy and the two years of your daughter’s life that he wasn’t present,” Krause’s voice was practically dripping with malice as she stared Jo down. “I mean, we are here to make sure that he’s doing his duty as a father, whether he’s in the same state as his children or not, right? So, has he been paying child support to you, Doctor Karev?”

Jo’s eyes flitted to Alex nervously, his own telling her that it was okay to tell the truth. To be honest, he was scared what Jo’s answer would affect in the case, but he knew that at the end of the day he wouldn’t have to pay a dime to Izzie because her kids were not his.

“No he hasn’t, but he didn’t know he had a daughter until four months ago,” Jo argued, turning momentarily to the judge. “He’s been a present and wonderful father since he’s known about Harper.”

“Doctor Karev, are you sure beyond a reasonable doubt that both of your children are indeed Alex’s children? Did you not have your daughter shortly after your now ex husband left you?”

“What’s the relevance here,” Alex’s lawyer finally stood and challenged the woman accosting Jo. “Doctor Josephine Karev’s children shouldn’t have any effect on her ex husband's child support case! It’s cruel and malicious to be questioning her like this on the stand.”

Alex turned to glare at Izzie, angered that she wore the same expression as her shifty lawyer. She knew about what Krause was plotting, he would put money on the fact that she’d planted the seed of whatever cruel idea it was in her head.

“I’m just questioning Doctor Alexander Karev’s intentions when it comes to his children, however many that may be,” Krause shrugged, eyes narrowing in Jo’s direction. “You’ve filed papers to move forward with adding Alexander to your daughter’s legal paperwork, is that correct?”

That all too familiar feeling of horror flooded Alex’s senses again, overtaking everything as he watched Jo answer affirmatively, her eyes moving to him again. There were tears welling up in them now, the fear he felt in the room spreading to her as well. His breathing hitched as he listened to Izzie’s lawyer prattle on once more, her biting voice breaking through his mental fog.

“I’d like to request a hold on any formal paternity proclamations concerning Doctor Alexander Michael Karev’s alleged children until their paternity can be confirmed via DNA testing,” Krause moved her line of sight to Jo once more, a sharp note ringing through the courtroom as she delivered her final, jarring blow. “I’d like to request that all four of Doctor Karev’s alleged children are tested, I believe that Josephine here is still well within the window to have an amniocentesis performed.”

“No, hell no!” Alex stood from his chair, eyes blazing as he stared down Krause. “I am not letting you poke and prod my wife just for a damn child support case, especially one she’s not directly involved in.”

Both Alex and his lawyer turned pleadingly towards the judge, who was eyeing both Izzie and Alex warily. He was never one to feel anxious, but he couldn’t help the worry mounting in his chest. Finally, the judge spoke, his words directed towards Izzie’s lawyers.

“How long would this process take?”

“If we proceeded with the amniocentesis, we’d have results in as soon as three weeks,” Krause’s eyes moved to Alex, a sick look of delight glowing in them. “If you’re uncomfortable with that though, we can draw this case out until the baby is born.”

“I’ll do it,” Jo’s voice rang out before anyone else could answer, making all eyes in the courtroom turn to her. Alex felt his heart constrict as he watched her speak. “I’ll do the amnio, I don’t mind.”

“With Doctor Josephine Karev’s confirmation, I’m adjourning this case until the DNA results for Alexis Isobel Stevens, Eli George Stevens, Harper Josephine Karev, and Doctor Josephine Karev’s unborn child come back. Court adjourned, you may leave now,” the judge rose and left the courtroom quickly, not bothering to witness the pure mayhem that descended upon the room.

“You did this on purpose,” Alex was up and out of his seat before anyone could stop him, feet heading towards Izzie who wore a smug expression as she looked him over. “You disgust me, you’ve weaponized your own children against me and now you’re trying to jeopardize the health of my unborn child and wife?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Alex,” Izzie batted her eyelashes in Alex’s direction, her self satisfied smirk growing as she watched him become more angry. “Looking forward to seeing you again!”

Before he could respond to Izzie, a gentle hand pressed into Alex’s back and ushered him towards the exit. Jo’s presence, even if he hadn’t looked into her eyes yet, was an instant calming effect over him.

As soon as they stepped into the hallway, Jo and Alex were in each other’s embrace, steadying breaths matching the others as they tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Her face pressed against his chest, Alex could feel the slow shuddering breaths that left Jo as he held her. He knew the questions Izzie's lawyer had posed were ones that were a sore spot for Jo, ones she’d begged him not to believe as she’d cried into his arms just a few weeks earlier.

“Just one punch,” Jo mumbled the words against Alex’s chest, looking up to make sure he heard her. “Please? I just wanna punch her one time.”

Alex chuckled, looking down at Jo with a glint in his eye, “You know I can’t let you do that, even though it would make me happier than I care to admit.”

“You kept calling me your wife in there,” Jo pressed her hands against the lapels of Alex’s suit, avoiding his stare as she fixed her gaze on her hands. “I don’t hate hearing you say that again.”

The words made Alex’s heart stutter under Jo’s gentle touch, his mind racing as he took in fully what she was saying. Did she really want to be his wife again? After years of him being away, of her raising their daughter on her own? After he had all but abandoned her and told her via letter?

Watching Jo for another moment, Alex brought his fingers under her chin and met her eyes, “You wanna marry me again? After all the shit we’ve been through?”

“For some reason I do, you make me better,” Jo finally lifted her gaze back to Alex’s face, eyes welling with tears as she spoke. “You’ve given me the best things in my life, you’ve made me a better person. And if we can get through some of the things that have been thrown at us, then I truly think we can get through everything. I love you Alex, more than I can ever say to you. I know you think you’ve fucked up, but through the past few months you’ve shown me how much you’ve grown.”

Not knowing what to say, Alex leaned down and captured Jo’s lips with his own. If there was one thing that was almost always blaringly clear for him, it was that he didn’t deserve the woman in his arms. He couldn’t begin to fathom how much it had taken to forgive him, to even trust him again after what he’d done. But just as she’d always done, Jo saw him for who he really was underneath all of his layers of bullshit.

“We can go right now, we are in the courthouse,” Alex joked, prompting Jo to roll her eyes and gently slap his chest before walking towards the exit. “What? Not a funny joke? We had fun last time and the SUV has a bigger backseat than the Audi did.” “Mmm yeah, you know we made a baby that night, right?,” Jo raised her eyebrows, a mischievous grin lighting up her face as she took in Alex’s shocked expression. “You have really good luck, you know? You made one baby in the backseat of a car and another on the floor of an elevator.”

A peel of laughter escaped Jo as she tried to unsuccessfully move away from Alex’s grip on her hips, instead falling back into his arms as his lips grazed her neck.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, woman,” Alex whispered the words as he turned Jo around in his arms. “Weren’t you just trying to jump me in the bathroom a few hours ago? Is the car not up to your standards?”

“No, I’m just thinking that Link is keeping Harper overnight and our bed probably got to the new house already,” Jo smirked in satisfaction at the dark look that fell over Alex’s eyes at her suggestion. “Now's as good a time as any to start christening the place. Unless you can’t keep up with a younger woman?”

“Josephine Karev, you know I can keep up with you any day of the week,” Alex’s lips ghosted Jo’s ear as he lowered his voice, pressing her closer to him and making his aroused state perfectly clear for her. “Let’s go, before we have no choice but to finish things up in the car.”

+

Twenty four hours after leaving the courthouse, Alex and Jo find themselves in an exam room on the OB floor. With the amniocentesis being court ordered and both of them wanting to get things over as quickly as possible, they’d booked the first appointment that was available.

“How are you not nervous,” Alex sat beside Jo, her hand in his as Carina ran an ultrasound wand over Jo’s stomach. “I mean I’m not trying to make you nervous, but you know what happens here!”

“Can’t be any worse than a 15 hour unmedicated labor that ended with a 9 pound baby making its way out of your vagina,” Jo shrugged, Carina chuckling quietly next to her. “I came up with some very interesting curse words that day.”

Alex and Jo both watched the ultrasound screen intently, their baby reaching one leg up to kick at the probe. Carina furrowed her brow, watching the baby move languidly on the screen, “You’re going to have to get them to calm down, I cannot go in while they’re kicking all around like that.”

“Talk to them, they always calm down when you talk to them,” Jo turned to Alex and raised her eyebrows. “Go on! I don’t have all day to lay here Alex.” Alex looked between Jo and Carina before leaning down and speaking in the same mellow tone that Jo had become so used to hearing while they laid in bed at night, “Hey kiddo, you gotta slow down in there. Your mom and I are tangled up in this stupid ass thing-”

“Alex!”

“And we’d really appreciate it if you cooperated so we could get this done,” Alex glanced to the ultrasound screen, noticing that the erratic movements had lessened and the baby had calmed. “See, that’s more like it. You know your sister is very excited to meet you, she keeps running around talking about how she’s gonna be a ‘big shitser’ which is super adorable if not the most inappropriate thing to come out of a two year olds mouth.

“She wants to name you Elsa or Hei Hei, those are the options I was presented with a few nights ago anyways. I don’t think she really gets it, but she’s gonna be great,” Jo’s eyes closed quickly as Carina pulled out the needle, her hand squeezing Alex’s. “Okay you gotta be super still now, mom’s got a big needle in her-”

“You are not helping me, Alex.” “And she’s all done! Look at that, easy peasy,” Alex pressed a kiss to Jo’s forehead, following the once again active baby on the screen. “Hey look at that, baby’s flashing us!”

Jo sat up quickly, eyes scanning the screen as well with a laugh, “Well that’s one way to do a gender reveal.”

Alex leaned up to kiss Jo, laughter bubbling from both of them as they let the realization sink in. They had a house, they had two healthy kids, they had the promise of a great big future ahead of them. Court case be damned, they were happy and things were going right between them for once.

[griefprofiled]

unreal. they really had alex leave and made the whole episode about how far he's come, like the whole episode is about how far he's come, and had the reason he left be going back to IZZY?!! are you fUCKING JOKING???!!

[bentrulearchived]

❝      it’s a war,      it’s the goddamn fight of my life and you started it.      ❞

@optimst​      /      ivy,   evermore

[angry-slytherin]

Heaven Help Me(Ch 11)

“Another day, another failed Tinder date,” Jo sighs into her cell phone.

“Jo, girl. Just go after that hot doctor you keep telling me about! Seriously, just do it,” Stephanie’s voice rings through the line. Jo groans.

“He’s all sad and moody over his wife. Who left him. I can’t go kissing him up. Plus, he’s not even into me. He basically told me he loves me like a sister.”

“You just left a diner from your third failed attempt at an online date. Stop pretending you aren’t in love with him. Screw his crappy wife; go make him happy again.”

“Steph, I gotta go. Thanks. Tell the fiancé hi for me.”

“Almost fiancé. Bye Jo.” And Steph hangs up.

Jo unlocks the door to her apartment, pushing the door open. She looks up to see Alex Karev standing in the middle of her living space.

“How the hell did you get into my house?”

“I never returned the key,” he grins sheepishly, “and I’ve been missing some of my clothes I forgot here. Have you seen my Iowa State T-shirt? I swear, I forgot I had that until I had to move all my crap out of my old house.”

Jo blushes. She had worn it to bed last night, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.

“Yeah, I sent out with my laundry this morning,” she says a pitch too high. She goes into the kitchen area, throwing her purse on the counter and kicking off her heels.

“Okay I already ate dinner on my absolutely horrible date...but you are free to raid the fridge.” Alex looks slightly stunned.

“You went on a date?” He crosses his arms. Jo rolls her eyes.

“Yes, hence the dress. I told you this morning when you were going to scrub in on Branden Keller’s appy. How is he by the way?” Jo hoists herself up to sit on the counter.

“He’s fine, he’s a trooper,” Alex opens the fridge, “but, no you didn’t.”

“Yeah, I did. Remember I said I had to leave as soon as I finished cleaning up my lab?” Alex rummages through her refrigerator drawers.

“I wasn’t paying any attention then I guess,” he shrugs, coming up with a chocolate pudding. Jo rolls her eyes again, snatching it from him.

“That’s not dinner. Heat up the chicken I have in there,” she reaches into the cabinet below her legs and pulls out a spoon. Alex finally gives her a good look, his eyes softening.

“You look great, by the way,” and he simply pops the chicken in the microwave.

“Shut up,” Jo feels her face flush. She opens the pudding. Alex turns to face her again.

“I’m serious,” he says solemnly.

“Thank you Alex.”

“You’re very welcome Jo.”

Jo takes a bite of the pudding, taunting Alex. So he grabs a spoon of his own, taking a scoop and shoving it in his mouth.

“Hey!” Jo exclaims, hugging the cup to her chest. Alex steps in between her legs, reaching for the cup, but she lays on her back on the island. He leans foward, still reaching.

Jo’s feels her body reacting to his proximity, his touch; she feels hotter, her movements become slower, and she feels like she’s lost her breath. She leans up on her elbows, but Alex doesn’t move.

Instead, he does something that shocks her more than it should. He kisses her. And oh my god, is it delicious.

Jo runs a hand through his hair and Alex pulls her body closer to his.

Alex pulls away for a moment. “When I said I love you, this is how I meant it.” Jo smiles, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I love you too.” Alex grins at her, and attaches his lips to hers once again.

“You taste like chocolate.”

“So do you.” They’re both half grinning, half open-mouthed kissing. Jo has never felt more relieved or happy. He loves her.

She wraps her legs around his hips, and god, it’s so sweet.

***

Jo wakes up in her bed, and looks at the clock. 5:30 A.M. For a moment, she resents that early time it blinks back at her.

Then she remembers. She’s in the throes with Alex. So she turns over, and there he is. Open mouthed, drooling all over her sheets, and as handsome as she’s ever seen him.

“Alex,” she shakes him, “Alex, get up. We have work. Early surgeries.” Alex groans, opening his eyes. Then he grins, close-lipped.

“What” Jo’s eyebrows stitch.

“Nothing,” he pulls her back against his abdomen, and Jo can’t bring herself to fight it. She feels giddily in love; like a child with ice cream or a new toy.

“I love you,” she whispers.

“Yeah. You too,” Alex kisses behind her ear, before hopping up. “I’ll be in the shower.”

[I don’t think this is what you were expecting. Yet, somehow I don’t think it’s dissapointing ;)

Please, please leave a comment if you’re so inclined! It not only motivates me, but it helps show me what I’m doing wrong/right :) Thanks!]

[karevfoster-blog]

He made me feel something that I haven’t felt since Derek.

[greysanatomyreaderinsertimagines]

Andrew DeLuca Multi-Chapter FanFic CH 23

Chapter 23: Undetermined Words: 314

By the time it was the 3rd month of knowing you, Andrew knew a lot. He knew what you first did in the morning, first thing you did when you got home. Your favorite foods, movies, places to hang out. Everything and everywhere. And you knew a bit about him too, he had to make sure he wasn’t prying information about you, but even as he was curious, he wanted to know more as well.

Some people thought it was obvious. Very obvious. For instance, Isaac, the friend Andrew was seen next to. He was going to tell you Andrew liked you. Andrew had to shut him up several times and had to make an attempt at getting Jo’s number for him to get him to stop. Did he succeed? Kind of. He got Isaac to keep his mouth shut at the same time of almost revealing his feelings towards you. Some of the Attendants thought it was adorable to see an intern falling for a 5th year resident. It was cute.

“Alex, I bet they’ll date by the end of intern year,” Meredith Grey smirked, looking over at her friend in crime, even though not Cristina, still a friend in crime none the less.

The man chuckled none the less. “Mer, you’re delusional. He won’t tell her he likes her,” Alex Karev shrugged, motioning to the two of you. You both were currently having a conversation, and it was getting deeply serious.

“You two obviously need to get your eyes checked,” Amelia Shepherd pushed through the both of them. “(L/n) is going to tell him first. Guaranteed. That girl is full of steel.” She made her way towards the both of you, mainly towards you for a surgery. Alex and Meredith look at each other.

“Could she,” Meredith asked.

“Maybe,” Alex shrugged.

Though at the time, fate was undetermined on what would happen.

[omeliashepherdhunt]

Good For Us

Ch. 1

This is a very short chapter but it’s basically setting up the beginning of a mildly angsty, fluffy family fic. I’d love any reblogs or comments. Enjoy!

It was hard to believe that at one point Amelia screamed to Owen that she didn’t want a baby. Unbeknownst to her, she was already pregnant with their first son Leo. 1 year and 1 day later, their second son Luca was born, and a year and a day after that, their only girl Lyla was born. 3 kids in three years was more than they bargained for but they loved every second of parenthood.

The road to becoming mommy and daddy was not an easy one. Not only were they working on their marriage, Amelia had preeclampsia which led to all three births being scheduled cesarean sections. Their marriage was strong and happy which truly helped their ability to parent their young trio.

Owen came through their mahogany front door and was delighted by what he saw. Amelia was passed out on their sectional sofa with Lyla asleep on her chest, and Leo and Luca’s heads in her lap. She amazed him by how effortlessly incredible she was as a mother. Nothing seemed to faze her at work or at home.

It wasn’t a rare occurrence for him to find his wife cuddled up with all three kids. Pregnancy was incredibly hard for her each go around but she swore a million times over it was worth it. After all, they had three big, beautiful, healthy babies. Owen lived for Amelia. She was his best friend, wife, and the mother of his children. She was his entire world.

Owen was able to move Leo and Luca to their cribs before Amelia woke up looking for them.

“Hey, sorry. I didn’t want to wake you up. I got the boys laid down. How was your first on call shift since Lyla? I didn’t get to see you before you left the hospital this afternoon.”

Amelia patted the couch for Owen to sit beside her. He willingly followed her cue and put his arm around her. She turned in for a kiss which he happily reciprocated.

“It was okay. None of the kids would settle down to sleep in daycare so Deluca had to close up on the emergency craniectomy I had so that I could nurse them to sleep. Overnight was fine which was weird. I slept almost six hours without being paged and that was only because Lyla needed to eat again. Maybe I should be on call more often so I can get restful sleep.”

“Hey now. It was so lonely here all alone. Maybe I can bribe Karev into giving us the same on call schedule. You could’ve at least left Leo or Luca.”

Amelia laughed and shook her head.

“Unless in the one night I was gone you’ve began to lactate, I don’t think that would work. Leo still nurses first thing in the morning and right before bed and maybe another couple times. Luca nurses on demand as does Lyla.”

“Worth a shot. Are you hungry? I’ll make dinner.”

“Depends on what you’re making.”

“How about chicken alfredo? The boys will eat it too.”

“Sounds good. How about we stay here until little miss wakes up? I missed you last night too.”

Owen kissed her face and held her and Lyla even closer in his arms. Family time was his absolute favorite.

.

Once the kids were in fed, bathed, and asleep in their cribs, Amelia and Owen decided to go lay out in the hammock in their backyard. Even for an August night, it was warm and breezy.

“Have you made your decision yet?”

“What decision?”

“Owen, about the training course and trauma seminar you’re supposed to go to.”

It was a topic he tried to avoid because he was torn. Yes, it would be great for his job but he didn’t want to be away from Amelia and the babies for a week and a half.

“No. I haven’t made up my mind.”

Amelia sighed and mumbled something under her breath that Owen couldn’t make out.

“Owen, I told you the kids and I would be fine. Deluca will stay in the spare room. Karev is leaving me off call while you’re gone so that I can actually be with the kids while I’m not working. This is going to be so good for you. It’ll be good for the hospital. You should go.”

“Won’t you miss me? I’d have to leave in three days.”

“Well of course I’ll miss you. The babies will miss you too but it’s going to be a quick ten days, then you’ll be back. I can hold down the fort. I promise.”

Owen stared up at the night sky, admiring the brightness of each star before he made his decision.

“Okay. I’ll go. I’ll be twelve and a half hours away by car, and two hours away by plane. Salt Lake City has plenty of hotels if you want to join.”

“I have a job here that needs me. It’ll be okay. What’s that corny ass saying? Distance makes the heart grow fonder. This will be good for us all.”

[fatalelity]

character tag drop!

ch. she is stronger && more resilient than most ; she's been through hell && back ( meredith grey )  ch. she's a hurricane && she's breaking everybody's heart ( amelia shepherd )  ch. she's the queen with a heavy crown ( charlotte king )  ch. strong hands && brave face ; you power through adversity ( mark sloan )  ch. you're so gorgeous! i can't say anything to your face ( addison montgomery )  ch. your dreamy blue eyes are suffocating ( derek shepherd ) ch. stand tall && walk proud you are stronger than you think ( callie torres ) ch. he’s a day dream wrapped up in tragedies ( pete wilder ) ch. well fell in love surrounded by bouquets of supermarket flowers ( jake reiley ) ch. oh golden boy ; who inflicted this tragedy upon you? ( alex karev ) ch. she is a mystery wrapped up in beautiful exteriors ( remy hadley ) ch. tragedies buried beneath her bright hopeful smiles ( arizona robbins )

[iamtrebleclefstories]

Every Day I Love You More - Ch.4

Chapter 4 - FIGURES

After having drunk sex, Jo and Alex are having a baby. An actual baby. Here’s how everyone finds out.

-Sequel to I’m Happy Right Here with You-

Jo and Alex are pretty good at keeping their little secret. Cristina just wants everyone to know already.

Another week went by and Jo and Alex had done a surprisingly great job at hiding the fact that Jo was ten weeks pregnant. Thankfully, much of this was due to the fact that Jo still had a few weeks before she’d start showing. Cristina on the other hand, was finding it torturous to keep this secret. She constantly found herself almost slipping up and mentioning the pregnancy to Meredith or Owen or Ross. One time, she even debated telling Zola so that she wouldn’t have to be the only one holding on to this information.

 It helped when she thought of it in terms of HIPPA. Sharing Wilson’s pregnancy would be a violation of HIPPA. It was just another piece of medical information that she was not allowed to disclose. However, seeing the ultrasound picture of the fetus on the refrigerator made it increasingly difficult to compartmentalize. Any time she invited someone over to the house, she’d have to hide the photograph in a drawer. Whenever she ate cereal and sat at the kitchen island, she’d find herself staring at the sonogram in disbelief at the fact that Alex Karev procreated.

 Cristina could not wait until Jo hit the twelve week mark, or people started figuring it out. Sure, Jo’s stomach was still flat, but her boobs had grown at least a cup size and she was eating more than usual. On top of that, she was taking constant trips to the bathroom to vomit and had been avoiding the x-ray rooms like vampires avoid the light. Jo also had this annoying new shine to her hair and skin, that made Cristina scowl with annoyance.

 As Cristina mulled over not being able to talk about the Junior Evil Spawn that was on its way, Jo walked into the kitchen. Cristina looked up from the box she was eating out of, “Good morning, Hairball. Or should I say, mommy to be?”

 “Good morning, Yang,” Jo rolled her eyes. She had a strange relationship with Cristina Yang. They lived together and she was one of the only people to know about Jo’s pregnancy, but they still were not on a first name basis. To be honest, Jo never thought they would be.

 “You know, I wanted to say thank you for finally moving all of your stuff into Alex’s room because that means you no longer monopolize my bathroom in the mornings puking your brains out,” Cristina said as she chewed on her cereal.

 “You’re welcome?” Jo scrunched her face. “And just to let you know, I’m not puking as much as I was before. It’s slowed down. And thank goodness because I was pretty sure people were going to find out. I’m running out of ways to get away from Stephanie.”

 “Everyone is going to find out if your boobs keep growing at the rate they are,” Cristina shrugged.

 “They’re not that bad!” Jo exclaimed.

 “What’s not bad?” Alex asked as he walked into the room.

 “My boobs,” Jo looked down at her breasts. “I know they’ve gotten bigger, but they’re not that bad right?”

 “Hey, don’t ask me. I think they’re great.” Alex grinned. “No complaints over here.”

 “Alex I’m serious,” Jo slapped his arm. “Do you think anyone has noticed? Yang said that they’re growing fast.”

 “Like I said,” Alex took a bite into an apple. “I think they’re great. I’m too busy staring at them to notice if anyone else is.”

 “He’s useless,” Cristina rolled her eyes. “Anyway, if we’re going to carpool today I’m leaving right now so, get in the car and vamonos.”

  By the time they arrived to the hospital, everyone had been ushered into various tasks. There was no time for meandering around and waiting for instructions. It was a busy day and required heightened senses and focus. There had a playground collapse at a local elementary school and there were a few kids in need of care. Thankfully, not many were injured enough to require surgery. However, in Trauma 2, Jo and Alex were treating a young girl of about six years old with internal bleeding and possible open fractures.

 “Hey you called for an ortho consult,” Callie asked as she entered the room.

 Alex looked up from the ultrasound he was performing, “Yeah. She’s got a couple broken ribs and an open fracture on her leg that needs surgical treatment.”

 “Okay,” Callie looked over the young girl’s injuries. “Wilson, I need you get a portable x-ray in here stat. I want to get a better look at her fracture before we go up to the OR.”

 Alex and Jo exchanged a look. They had done such a great job at avoiding situations like these for the past two weeks. Alex cleared his throat, “I’ll do it. Jo, I need you to get my extra scrub cap from my locker. I forgot that I didn’t have my usual one washed.”

 Jo nodded appreciatively as she exited the room. Callie gave Alex a strange look, “I know she’s your girlfriend and all, but she’s the resident. She should be doing the x-ray. Not you.”

 “It’s fine. I don’t mind,” Alex said as he and Callie each put on a lead x-ray covering. “Besides, I’m the attending, so it just makes more sense for me to stick around than leave the patient with a resident while I go get my scrub cap.”

 “Well, she wouldn’t have been alone. I’m here,” Callie pointed out.

 “Oh. Yeah. That’s right,” Alex shrugged.

 Callie watched Alex move under her scrutinizing gaze. He was being weird, and Callie was determined to find out why. Suddenly, Callie’s face turned to one of pure shock, “Oh, tell me you didn’t.”

 “Didn’t what?” Alex asked. “I know how to take an x-ray. I didn’t move anything.”

 “No, I’m not talking about that,” Callie shook her head. “Tell me you didn’t get Wilson pregnant.”

 Alex gulped, “I… what?”

 “Oh my God. You did,” Callie stood up from the stool she had been sitting in. “And you can’t even lie about it. She’s pregnant.”

 Unsure of what to say, Alex decided to keep quiet as Callie rambled off a ton of questions, “When did this happen? How far along is she? How long have you known??”

 Sighing, Alex motioned with his hands, “Calm down and keep quiet. She’s only ten weeks so we’re trying to keep it a secret. The only other person who knows is Cristina because we live with her. We found out two weeks ago, the day before we told everyone that we’re together.”

 “She’s already ten weeks?” Callie exclaimed. “How long have you two been together without telling us? How did this happen?”

 “You remember Mer’s birthday party?” Alex laughed awkwardly. “We had drunk sex and made baby.”

  “You what? But you guys weren’t even together back then,” Callie’s eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of her head. “Oh! Oh… good Lord. Don’t tell me you’re only with her because of the baby. You might act like you have no feelings but you are actually a pretty decent guy and it’s totally something you would do.”

 “No! I’m not with Jo because of the baby,” Alex exclaimed. “I’m with Jo because I love her and I want to be with her. The baby is just an added bonus.”

 “That’s probably the most sickeningly sweet thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Callie looked at him weirdly. “Who are you and what have you done with Alex Karev?”

 “Hey! I’ve got your scrub cap,” Jo announced as she walked back into the trauma room. “Did you guys finish the x-rays?”

 “Yes, Wilson. We finished the x-rays. No need to worry. Your precious cargo is safe,” Callie replied.

 Jo’s face paled. She looked at Alex accusingly, “You told her?”

 “Didn’t have to,” Alex shook his head. “She figured it out.”

 “It’s the boobs isn’t it? That’s what gave it away,” Jo huffed. “Cristina said they were growing really fast, but I didn’t think they were that bad.”

 “No it wasn’t the boobs,” Callie chuckled. “But now that you mentioned it, they look fantastic. Don’t be surprised if people start hitting on you. I know I sure would.”

 “I don’t know if I should be proud that I have a hot girlfriend or worried that someone’s going to try to take you from me,” Alex wrapped an arm around Jo’s waist.

 “Oh please,” Jo rolled her eyes. “In a few months, the only person who’s going to think I look hot, is you. And the only reason you’ll think that is because your male, primal instincts tell you to find me attractive so you can protect me, even though I’ll be as big as a whale.”

 “That’s true,” Alex kissed her forehead. “You’ll always be hot to me.”

 “Ugh, now I’m going to puke,” Callie made a face. “Let’s get this girl up to the OR. You two can stare into each other’s eyes later.”

 Hours later, Callie walked by Cristina in the parking lot on the way to the car and gave her a pointed look. Cristina tilted her head and stared at Callie for a moment. Finally, Cristina’s jaw dropped, “You know.”

 “I know,” Callie confirmed.

 “How did you find out?” Cristina asked. “They aren’t telling people yet.”

 “Alex made up some lame excuse to get Wilson out of the room when it was time to take some little girl’s x-rays,” Callie shared. “I figured it out pretty quickly and he didn’t even try to deny it.”

 “Oh thank God,” Cristina breathed out a sigh of relief. “I was going crazy not being able to talk to anyone about this.”

 “Ooh, you know I’m down to talk about this whenever,” Callie grinned. “Alright, so tell me, how did you find out?”

[doc-pickles]

i won’t hesitate (for you) ch. 10

Jo is happy, at least she feels like she is. When someone from her past shows up, will her and her daughter's world ever go back to normal? Or will things change for good?

Hello! I hate this chapter a lot but here you go! We only have ONE MORE CHAPTER left of this story though! Woohoo!

TW: Depictions of Domestic Abuse & Miscarriage

The room was dark, creaking floorboards alerting her to the fact that she wasn’t alone anymore. Eyes cracking open, she watched for the telltale shadow that would appear in the dim hallway light to let her know he was home. She prayed for just a moment that she was hearing things, that he wasn’t actually there. 

Of course she was wrong, her body flinching as he clambered into the room loudly. She should be used to this by now, the chill of fear running up her spine as she prepares for the worst. But she isn’t, she hopes she never is because that means there’s a sliver of hope left for her. 

Her fingers curl around the small swell of her stomach. It’s unnoticeable to everyone except her, the only person who knows about the little life growing there. She closes her eyes, a single tear running down her face as she apologizes to them, to her baby. 

“You stupid slut, I saw what you did at…”

The rest of his words don’t matter, she tunes them out as soon as his fist lands on her face. The blows continue, she tries to curl up and shield herself but he’s not giving any form of mercy tonight. Before she knows it, she’s splayed out with his feet and fists taking turns pummeling into her ribs. She can feel the bones cracking, sharp pain radiating underneath her skin as she tries unsuccessfully to keep her tears at bay. 

He finishes finally, satisfied with himself enough to step away and brush off his hands as if he’d just gone through a rough cardio circuit at the gym. 

“Hope that teaches you a lesson, Brooke. I’m going to shower, you better be cleaned up by the time I come back.”

As soon as he’s out of her sight, she looks down at the damage he’s done. Bruises are starting to form almost everywhere on her body, blood stemming from her forehead. Her body is aching, but she forces herself up and out of the bed. A look behind her reveals the puddle of blood she’d been laying in, the bright red staining the sheets and her pajama bottoms. 

“I’m so sorry,” her voice cracks as she lays a hand on her stomach, tears streaming down her face. “I promise I’m leaving, this will never happen again.”

  Jo bolts upright in bed, sweat soaking her body as she comes to. The nightmare dissolves from her vision, but the feeling it leaves makes her skin crawl and her chest grow tight. She can feel herself hyperventilating, her lungs constricting as she tries to get air back into them. 

“Jo? What’s wrong? Is the baby okay?,” Alex is up and next to her in seconds, one hand spreading over her back to rub circles as the other splayed against her rounded abdomen. “Babe?”

She shakes her head, body deflating as she lets out a quiet sob. Her fingers rest over Alex’s on her belly as she leans into him, “I- it was… nightmare.”

The sweat pooling on her skin doesn't help the nightmare slip away, the perspiration reminding her of the sticky feeling of blood clinging to her skin. The radio silence from the baby in her womb doesn’t help her anxiety either, the lack of movement making her mind race unpleasantly as Alex’s fingers card through her hair. 

“Jo, baby you gotta breathe,” Alex’s voice is slow and soothing in her ear, his tone calm as he tries to ease the panic building in her chest. For years she was positive that she’d never be able to get the feeling of Paul’s hands on her out of her head, but the way that Alex’s fingers trail so lightly over her hot skin helps remind her that things have changed. “That’s better, keep breathing. You’re okay, I’m right here.”

As the visions of her past finally begin to fade from her vision, a swift kick hits her stomach under Alex’s hand. Relief begins to course through her then, her mind finally catching up to the fact that the memory that had plagued her dream was far in her past. 

“I… I keep having the same nightmare about…,” Jo still can’t bring herself to say the words, to admit what Paul had put her through out loud. Instead, she goes with a roundabout answer. “This is my fourth pregnancy and I still can’t shake that feeling that everything is going to come down around me.”

She’s never told Alex about the losses she’d endured with Paul, she’d never had a reason to, but the way he presses his lips against her forehead assures her that he was nothing except supportive. 

“Well I’ll be here to catch whatever fallout there is, I always will be,” Alex pulled Jo closer to him, then dragged them both back down to the mattress. “Go back to sleep, we have a long day ahead and I’ll be here the whole time.”

Jo settled into Alex’s embrace, fingers clutching lightly at his shirt as she dozed off. Alex couldn’t find sleep again though, eyes watching Jo tentatively as his fingers traced patterns into her expanding belly. 

She’d never talked in detail about Paul, only snippets here and there that painted a clear enough picture of the horrors that Jo had gone through. Knowing that she’d been pregnant twice before Harper though, that made things seem so much more real for Alex as he felt a flutter of kicks under his fingers. 

Sleep finally found Alex, whispers of promises on his lips as he held Jo close to him. 

+

A nervous energy radiated off both Alex and Jo as they stepped back into the courthouse. Harper had just been dropped off at Link and Amelia’s, the little girl slightly confused as to why both of her parents had teary eyes. Deep down, they knew what the verdict of the day would be, but the tense environment of the courthouse was getting to both of them.

“Oh shit, she really dragged her kids in to see this,” Alex groaned as he and Jo walked the halls of the courthouse, his eyes watching the two young children run around Izzie and her lawyers. “I haven’t seen them since I left… knowing Izzie they still think I really am their dad.” Jo studied the melancholy look on Alex’s face as he looked towards the kids he’d helped raise the past couple of years. She couldn’t help the raging anger she felt towards Izzie for what she’d done, but she reeled it in for Alex’s sake. 

“Hey, you’re doing the right thing by going through this stupid trial. At the end of the day what those kids deserve is the truth,” Jo placed her hands on Alex’s shoulders, looking up at him with a reassuring smile. “And if for some reason the test comes back and says they are yours then we’ll figure everything out. Don’t worry about today, it’ll all work out.”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Alex leaned down and kissed Jo sweetly. Leave it to her to know exactly what to say when his ex took him to court and the kids he thought were his showed up to witness the fallout. The pair broke apart when a booming voice announced that the judge was ready for them.

Heart racing, Alex walked into the courtroom with Jo’s hand clasped tightly in his own. He eyed Izzie, Alexis, and Eli who all sat together on the opposite side of the room. If he squinted hard enough, he could see similarities between himself and the two bouncing children, but it paled in comparison to the way Harper looked almost identical to him. The little girl, who’s first two years of life he had missed, made the same faces he did and had the same sparkling eyes as his younger sister. Never for a moment did he doubt that she was his, the moment Alex laid his eyes on Harper as she ran towards Jo he knew that she was his daughter.

“We’re here to settle the child support case filed by Doctor Isobel Stevens against Doctor Alexander Karev,” the judge’s voice pulled Alex from his thoughts, his hand squeezing Jo’s as they waited for him to continue. “I have the paternity results for Alexis Isobel Stevens and Eli George Stevens before me now” The tension in the room was palpable, Alex feeling as if his breath was being held back by some unknown force as he waited for the results to be announced out loud. He could feel Jo’s foot bouncing rhythmically next to him, a sure sign that she was just as nervous as he was. Finally, the judge spoke again, “These results certify that neither Alexis or Eli Stevens are the biological children of Doctor Alexander Karev.”

The burst of air he’d been so desperately craving finally rushed into Alex’s lungs as the words he already knew to be true were confirmed for him. He could feel Jo kissing his cheek, mumbling some string of encouragement that was lost in the haze of his mind. A small part of him was sad, thinking about the time and love he had invested into Izzie’s children, but it faded when he remembered that he had two biological children with Jo that meant more than anything to him.

Izzie must have been on the same wavelength as Alex because she spoke up next, voice dripping with malice as she glared at Alex and Jo, “Do you have the results for the other two kids? Surely they can’t both be Alex’s.”

Before Jo had a chance to jump out of her seat and rush towards Izzie, the judge read out the rest of the test results, “Both the paternity test for Harper Josephine Karev and Doctor Josephine Karev’s amniocentesis results confirmed that Doctor Alexander Karev is the biological father of both children.”

Upon hearing that news, Alex moved out of his catatonic state to pull Jo into his side, his lips pressing a kiss into her hair as he spoke, “Told you, I never doubted you for a second.”

“Upon receiving these test results, I’ve made a ruling on the outcome of this case,” all eyes in the courtroom turned to the judge, his eyes scanning the two parties tentatively before reading the papers before him. “Since neither of Doctor Isobel Stevens' children are biologically Doctor Alexander Karev’s, I’ve ruled that her child support claim will not be accepted. Doctor Stevens, you will repay Doctor Karev any legal and personal fees he’s incurred during this trial for the inconvenience you’ve caused him. Furthermore, I’ve pushed through the legal paperwork filed in the interest of Harper Josephine Karev so that Doctor Alexander Karev is now legally her father. Case dismissed, court adjourned.”

Alex didn’t think he had ever felt this relieved in his whole life. He pulled Jo into his embrace, kissing her soundly as she laughed away a few stray tears. The worry and anxiety consuming both of them had faded away the moment the judge had read out the results, their fate seemingly sealed in the best way possible.

As Jo and Alex made their way out of the courtroom, Izzie caught Alex’s eyes. She wore a scowl as she stared them down, eyes narrowing at the younger woman as she passed her by. Tightening his grip around Jo’s shoulder, Alex led her past the blonde and into the hallway they'd just stood in a few weeks earlier. 

“I told you everything would work out,” Jo smiled up at Alex, hands smoothing over the blue dress she’d picked out that morning. “Thank god too because I’m pretty sure nothing else is gonna fit me. Now, let’s go celebrate. Lunch?” Alex glanced at Jo with a smirk, one hand ducking into the pocket of his suit jacket as he spoke to her, “I actually had another idea, if you were up for it.” From his jacket, Alex produced a velvet box that he popped open to reveal a set of silver rings. The diamonds that glittered back at Jo instantly made her eyes water, her gaze moving from the box up to Alex’s face. 

“Marry me again, Jo. I promise this will be the last time,” a chuckle left Jo as Alex spoke, their eyes meeting in a tender gaze. “I love you, it took me so long to realize that and then I let you go, but I swear I’m never gonna leave again. You and Harper and this baby mean too much to me. So… will you? Marry me again?”

“Yes, yes, yes. Of course I’ll marry you Alex,” Jo nodded, a watery laugh escaping her as she leaned up to kiss Alex. “On one condition though.”

“I would do anything for you to marry me Jo, you know that,” Alex smirked, his forehead leaning against hers as he chuckled. “I’ve only asked you about a hundred times.”

“Let’s go right now,” Alex’s eyebrows rose in awe as he stared at Jo. “I don’t wanna wait, I wanna be married to you again. And I really don’t wanna have to file a bunch of paperwork to get you on this kids birth certificate once they’re born.”

A cheesy grin settled onto Alex’s face as he watched Jo through misty eyes. He’d spent so many nights in a lonely bed in Kansas thinking about this moment, dreaming about a future where he got a second chance with Jo. Truthfully he’d always thought that the dreams were just wishful thinking, but standing here now with her in front of him and a new life bursting between them, he couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten.

“Well then let’s go,” Alex grabbed Jo’s hand and began walking through the halls of the courthouse, their laughter echoing off the stone walls as they made their way towards the marriage clerk's office. “Do you think we can get our frequent visitors card stamped?”

“Alex!”